Flowstone
by Imperial Mint
Summary: Being a vampire wasn't all it was cracked up to be; school still existed and the future held fewer possibilities. When the time comes to choose a career path, Izo finds being a vampire harder than ever. Izo/Thatch. For alenachen


**Pairing: **Izo/Thatch  
**Notes: **Written for alenachen and tumblr prompts. The theme for this one was Vampire!AU, I hope you enjoy! This is also un-betaed so I'd appreciate any mistakes to be pointed out!

**.**

The room sounded with the clatter of students scraping their chairs and packing their items away, the bell lingering in their ears. Izo glanced at the clock, tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear as he sighed, letting a sharp tooth graze over his bottom lip as his eyes returned to the form in his hands.

Something heavy thumped against Izo's back and he jerked forwards, lips curling angrily as a frown developed on his brow. He turned to the offender, softening slightly when he saw Thatch standing above him.

"Schools out," Thatch said with a bright smile, the kind of smile that made Izo's heart speed up and his stomach wobble. "Why aren't you packing up? We're still on for food, yeah?"

Thatch's mouth was downturned with worry and Izo let the form he'd been holding fall on the table as he moved to pack his things.

"You're an idiot," Izo said gently, shouldering his bag. "And of course we're still on. Only emergencies cancel date night."

It had been over a year since they'd made things official, though they'd known each other for longer, having been placed together at the Academy when they were both 17. Now, four years later, they were in their final year of their adaptive education programme and ready to pursue a career.

Exiting the dark walls of the academy, Izo threaded his arm through Thatch's and listened to him talk about one of the new students who was having a hard time adjusting to the adaptive programme.

"I mean it's understandable," Thatch said, Izo watching as his tongue grazed his canines, a habit Thatch displayed when he was thinking hard. "It's not every day you get turned into a vampire and have to move schools to take courses that will help you adapt to life now you're one of the amazing undead."

Izo rolled his eyes, remembering just exactly how well Thatch had taken it. He'd insisted upon dressing as a stereotypical vampire for the first few months they knew each other and thank fuck he'd grown out of that one.

"But Ace is a cool guy underneath. We should invite him to ours when he's settled in," Thatch said and Izo hummed. It never hurt to make new friends in their lifestyle.

They rounded a corner, entering a dark café off of the main street. They were greeted by a waiter and chatted for a while, regulars to the café. The owner, Sanji, poked his head out of the back with a wave of his arm and a flash of elongated teeth, before he vanished. Thick, red drinks with heat rolling off of them were placed on the table and Thatch snatched his up greedily, sipping noisily.

"I've been waiting all day for that," he commented, patting his stomach and grinning. Izo raised an eyebrow, drinking his through the straw provided and melting at the heavenly, metallic taste of blood washed over his taste buds.

There was nothing like one of Sanji's speciality blood drinks. This little café was one of the hottest places in the vampire world and Sanji had extended his business to include products that were sold on the school premises, an idea that the students had welcomed with open arms and fat wallets.

"You don't seem to be enjoying your drink," Thatch said, a hint of worry in his voice.

Izo's attention returned to the table and he shrugged, reaching for his bag and the form that had been troubling him before. He slid the crumpled paper across the table and Thatch took it, eyebrows rising.

"I spoke to the careers advisor today as the deadline to apply for extra courses is next week." Izo sipped at his drink and brought a hand up to rest on his cheek, elbow on the table. "I'm undecided."

See, the thing about vampires was that they weren't ordinary people. So many myths had arisen about them that it had taken them hundreds of years to step out of the shadows (so to speak – the sun had little effect on them, aside from tanning them as any human) and be accepted on the outskirts of society. Humans still didn't trust them entirely and whole organisations had been created to try and force vampires back into the shadows, but they wouldn't go quietly.

It did mean that there were restrictions in life. Some jobs were just… unobtainable, despite protest and campaigning for change. Some were hard to get into and those in those positions were still greatly looked down upon, and that was where Izo fit in.

"You've always wanted to be a nurse," Thatch said softly, the paper in his hands rustling slightly as he sipped his drink. Izo looked at him and sighed.

"Well I wanted to be a doctor, but vampires aren't allowed to be doctors – or vets for that matter, I could have been a vet." Izo's cheek slipped a little down his hand, bunching skin up around one eye. He lowered his arm, fingers brushing Thatch's arm across the table, running against the fine hairs of his arm. Goose bumps appeared and Izo smiled as Thatch shivered.

"I know they're campaigning for us to be allowed to be doctors, but until then I thought maybe being a nurse." Izo lowered his eyes and Thatch set the paper down properly, taking Izo's hand in his own.

"Look," he began, eyebrows dipping in sincerity. "That paper isn't to put you off. I bet the career guy didn't want you to give up, did they?"

Izo shook his head. The advisor had been very supportive, but wanted Izo to know what he'd be getting into… hence the paper.

"This is a list of obstacles you'll face, that's all. It's not a form that says you can't be a nurse, it's not a written statement banning you from anything – it's just something that will prepare you." Thatch smiled easily, thumb stroking the back of Izo's hand, a reassurance Izo was so thankful to have.

"If anything, they need more of us in the nursing business. We won't make any progress if we hide away and do what the humans want. It's not like you're going to tear into a patient and drain them dry!" Thatch laughed, drawing the gaze of a few other patrons.

He was right though. Humans didn't seem to understand that blood came as easily to them as food did to humans. The blood was the run off from animals the humans ate; humans had become less wasteful with the vampire's help. The last documented case of a vampire drinking human blood (or rather an unwilling human; no one could control what willing partners did in the privacy of their own home of course) was almost a century ago now, though humans still wouldn't let it go.

"You're right," Izo said, sipping his drink a little more enthusiastically. It had cooled, but it was still strong and delicious. "Of course you're right."

Thatch's fingers tightened around his hand, fangs flashing with his smile.

"Of course I'm right," he boasted, using his free hand to spread the menu out, looking for the updated monthly specials. "I'm always right."

Izo rolled his eyes, yet made no move to remove his hand. As long as he had Thatch, he could be strong and do what he'd always wanted to, no matter how hard it would be.

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Reviews are always appreciated, thank you for reading.


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